Joe Morton: Schools will obey new Alabama immigration law

View full sizeAlabama Gov. Robert Bentley, from left, is congratulated by Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, Rep. Kerry Rich, R-Albertville, and Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, after signing into law what critics and supporters are calling the strongest bill in the nation cracking down on illegal immigration, on Thursday June 9, 2011 at the state Capitol in Montgomery, Ala. The bill allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if they're stopped for any other reason. It also requires public schools to determine students' immigration status and makes it a crime to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Alabama schools Superintendent Joe Morton says his staff is developing guidelines to share with local principals and teachers on what they need to do to comply with a tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.

A bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley Thursday includes language requiring schools to report the immigration status of students. Morton said Friday that state schools would comply with the provisions of the new law.

"I think I have built my career around following the law and we will follow this one," Morton said. He said the new law requires him to interpret the requirements of the statute before the new law takes effect Sept. 1.

Morton said he has been receiving questions from superintendents, teachers, principals and others concerning the provisions of the immigration law.

"These are the normal questions you receive when there are changes in the law and in procedures. We have assured them we would give them guidance in plenty of time.

Morton said school officials will have some time to react to the new law because it doesn't take effect until Sept. 1, several weeks after most Alabama schools start the new school year. Because the law requires the reporting when students are enrolled at the beginning of the year, schools will have almost a year before they have to file the reports for most students.

The president of the Jefferson County chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, Vi Parramore, complained the new law turns educators into "immigration enforcement officials."

Isabel Rubio, executive director of The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, said the new law shifts the focus of schools away from their responsibility of educating children.

"Schools are there to educate people, not to police people," Rubio said.

The House sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Micky Hammon of Decatur, said the reporting requirement is for informational purposes only and is not to be used against students or their parents.

But critics argued that by gathering the information, parents would be discouraged from sending the children to school because they would be worried that their illegal immigration status would be revealed.

Immigration bill puts some legal workers at odds with law

The sweeping law allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if the person is stopped for some other reason. In addition, it requires all businesses to check the legal status of workers using a federal system called E-Verify and makes it a crime to knowingly transport or shelter illegal immigrants.

Rubio's organization helps immigrants in Alabama learn English, work to become citizens and helps them with domestic violence and other issues that often face new residents in the country.

"This bill effectively criminalizes our work, in terms of harboring. This bill is aimed at anybody who helps the immigrant community. It puts us at risk of breaking the law," Rubio said.

Brian Wallace, director of public relations for the Salvation Army in Birmingham said the religious-based organization accepts "anybody without discrimination" at its facilities. But he said he doesn't believe the Salvation Army will have trouble with the new law. He said anybody can enter Salvation Army facilities, but people must show identification to spent the night in a shelter.

"It's too early to tell if we are going to need to change anything," Wallace said.

Bentley said Friday he signed the bill without making any changes to it because "I support what we passed."

A legal immigrant from Mexico, Julian Perez said he believes the new law will cause Hispanic immigrants to leave the state.

"People are going to get out of this state," said Perez, a cement contractor in Birmingham who has been in the country for 4 years. He said he has a work visa.

"People will look for another state to work in," Perez said.

Perez said he believes the new law is racist and he worries about young people who are coming to Alabama from Mexico and other Latin American countries to make a living.

The law pursues people who are just here trying to do good," Perez said.